


Nescient

by SCGirls



Category: Original Work
Genre: Androids, F/M, Inspired by K-Drama | Korean Drama, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22658941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SCGirls/pseuds/SCGirls
Summary: "Xel's past month had been stressful. Her mornings have been frenzied and her afternoons active; her nights, being the only time she has to herself, resembles the tranquility that usually goes hand-in-hand with the quiet it brings."Xel takes what peace she can when she transferes to a new school in an attempt to leave her old life behind.
Relationships: Original Character & Original Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	Nescient

**Author's Note:**

> Please note: This story is just for fun and updates will her scattered slow. This is literally for shits-and-giggles!

This past month has been stressful. 

Xel doesn’t mind it. Her mornings have been frenzied and her afternoons active; her nights, being the only time she has to herself, resembles the tranquility that usually goes hand-in-hand with the quiet it brings. It’s a comfort to have her days busy with whatever task that her Aunt and Uncle have given her to complete, whether it be the finishing touches in her apartment as she moves in, or some mundane task they believe she can accomplish. Each one gives her a small sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose that she has been missing the past years. 

“My Hime!”

Xel doesn’t look up, her gaze focusing on whatever tableware she has in her possession with the intent of putting them in their proper place within her new cabinets. It’s her aunt; she knows the high-pitched shrill of her voice anywhere. 

“My Hime?” A pause, the sound of footsteps approaching, and then, “Oh!” A sound sharp and loud enough to break whatever concentration she had and causes her to look back on reflex, surprise dictating her actions before she can even think of protesting it. 

Her Aunt is standing there, eyes shining as bright as the smile on her face. She’s taller than Xel by more than a few centimeters, a little more filled out in the hips and shoulders. There’s nothing remarkable about her, honestly; dark eyes, darker hair, and a small turned-up nose all framed by a heart-shaped face. Xels’ gaze lingers there for a moment before it settles on the tiny spectacles that sit on the bridge of her nose, a small glare forming on them as the overhead light hits the surface. 

Xel looks up at her from the darks of her lashes before she turns back around to the cabinets, keeping her ears open for her aunt to continue talking as she puts away the dishes. Her head tilts to the left, an indication to her aunt that’s she’s still listening as she focuses on the few items she has in her grasp. 

She gets a sigh in response, a huff of breath loud enough to shatter whatever comfortable silence that they had found themselves in. “I really wish you would speak to us sometime, My Hime; but that’s alright. I have a favor to ask of you.”

Xel doesn’t turn, doesn’t spare enough attention to change her focus from the task at hand as she places the dishes in her hands on the counter. It takes a single jump for her to get her leg to onto the counter and a second for her to fully climb onto it, her knees supporting her weight as she situates herself. It’s cold; the marble surface doing nothing to bring some form of comfort to her knees. Her hand reaches for the stack of plates next to her with the mission of putting them away; the action is deliberately slow, her movements unthinking as she focuses back onto her aunt.

“We still have some last-minute things you need to get. Would you mind going to the store to pick them up?”

Xel stares at the stack of plates in the cabinet for a moment. The question is unexpected, even amidst the plethora of scenarios she’s considered. It’s impossible to hide her surprise at this point. Whatever sense of calm she has been trying to portray had given way to the slack-jawed, wide-eyed pause in her movements. She turns her gaze to her aunt, an eyebrow raised in question. 

“I know you haven’t been here long, My Hime, but it’s going to get cold fairly quickly and it’s good to be prepared. You’ll only need to pick up a few items; some cold medicine and maybe some gloves.” There’s a pause, long enough for Xel to feel her heartbeat quicken before her aunt decides to speak again. “Oh, I know! How about I make a list of things for you to pick up before tomorrow? It should only take a couple of hours.”

It’s then that Xel wishes she was back at The Facility; to have the familiarity of repetitive tasks she knows she can accomplish with little issues than the seemingly impossible one that is being asked of her. To be back with her Doctors, running tests and conducting experiments on what could and couldn’t be done.

“Ah, here we are!”

It’s then that Xel turns to fully face her aunt instead of the profile view she was previously giving, to see the excitement painting her aunt’s face as her smile only grows wider. She knows that face; knows that it will bring trouble her way regardless of the intent that her aunt originally has, but she knows that she can’t decline it. She can’t escape the shining in her eyes or the excitement in her actions as her aunt shoves a notepad at her. There’s writing here, a handful of bullet points formatted into a list of items that she suspects that she’s in charge of getting by the days end.

“Now I know this looks like a lot, My Hime, but I know you can do this. You’ll need them come the winter months.” 

Xel turns the notepad over in her hands, letting the weight shift slightly as she gazes up at her aunt. Her head tilts to the left, bangs falling in her face. It’s a question she won’t voice, but her aunt is more than willing to answer regardless.

“Oh, right! You can’t buy anything without money, now can you?” She opens her purse, taking no time to hesitate as she pulls out several 10,000-yen notes to hand to her. “This should be more than enough to get you everything on the list, and anything else you might want.”

Xel finds herself nodding, quickly placing the notepad down onto the counter in favor of putting the bills inside her wallet. The fit was tight; the wallet being barely used and brand new. It’s a strange situation to be in, she thinks. To be treated as some type of princess from another time than the danger that she really is; to be a part of some form of makeshift harmony, a family, rather than of the destruction she’s so used to bringing.

“Well, go on! I can finish up here, My Hime.” It’s a clear dismissal; if the wave of her hand and finality of her tone is anything to go by. 

Xel only lingers for a moment before she grabs the notepad jumps from the counter to the floor. There’s virtually no noise when she lands; no thump as her feet make contact with the wood underneath her. She makes it to the entryway in no time; her slippers come off easy, the material gliding effortlessly against the fabric of her socks as she toes them off. Her shoes are another matter altogether. It takes some effort to slip them on. The action is clumsy; her hands clearly unskilled and unpracticed as she ties the laces together.

It’s then that she reaches for her jacket from the floor and slips it on. The material is lightweight, made more for the summer and spring months more than the fall one she’s using it for. She likes it, though; the material is light enough to flow freely in the wind as she walks, making her feel free and not restricted in her movements in case she happens to be in a rush. It’s dark, too. The color making it easy to go with just about anything she decides to wear that day; it makes it the ideal item of clothing to keep on hand in case she gets a sudden chill.

She only spares a second to make sure she has everything before she walks out the door. Her wallet is safely nestled inside the pocket of her jacket; the notepad tucked safely in her arms. Xel takes the elevator in lieu of the stairs; the ride is short, only lasting a few minutes as it goes down to the ground floor. She lets herself linger in her anxiousness, in the nervousness that comes with this seemingly mundane task. It would be easier, she thinks, if she treats this as if she’s on one of her missions; as if she’s back with her Doctors and this was just a routine thing.

The elevator doors open smoothly before her and she steps out and into the lobby of her apartment complex. It’s empty, she notices, save for a repairman working on changing the lightbulbs overhead. They exchange polite nods seeing no use to verbally exchange greetings before going back to their separate tasks. It’s pleasant in its own way; to have conversations with looks and small gestures instead of speaking, breaking the pleasant quiet surrounds them.

The cold air hits her at once, casting her skin in goosebumps even under the protection of her jacket. She should have checked the thermostat, she thinks, instead of leaving the warmth of her apartment to finish the errand quickly. It’d be easy to turn back, to retreat back into the complex in order to exchange her jacket for a heavier one; one fit for this type of weather. Xel doesn’t, though; she moves forward instead, pushing past her discomfort of the cold in order to start the task that was asked of her.

The streets are busy. They’re crowded enough to harbor inconvenience to anyone who is in a rush, but still spacious enough to not offer the uncomfortable suffocation that usually encompasses large masses of people. It’d be easy to get lost. To pass her bus stop and maneuver through the bodies of people and just let her feet take her where she needs to go, but it’s cold outside. 

The bus stop is empty, which is a surprise this time of day. Usually, there would be at least a handful of people waiting in an attempt to beat the mid-afternoon rush from their lunch breaks to get back to their jobs. Xel sits on the bench, the chill of the metal biting through the material of her jeans to give her legs the teasing sensation of a chill that would be worse if she had worn shorts. 

Xel doesn’t have to wait long for the bus. It’s only a handful of minutes, maybe half an hour, that she sits there until the high-pitched squeaking of breaks reaches her ears. She stands, making an effort to pat out all of the wrinkles that might have creased her outfit out. It’s a conscious action; the movements are well-practiced as if she’s only recently come to learn what is socially acceptable when it comes to one’s appearance.

The bus doors open slowly and Xel steps to the side, letting the people off first before she even attempts to enter. It takes a minute before the path clears enough for Xel to fit the entirety of her body through the doors to scan her bus pass; and another minute for her to find a spot to stand at, grabbing at the railing in front of her to steady herself. The bus jerks to life. The action is sudden enough that Xel is glad that she grounded herself with the railing or else she would lose balance.

The first thing Xel notices is that the bus is warm. It’s a nice heat; the bodies of the people inhabiting the bus radiating heat that she’s sure wouldn’t be there otherwise, but it’s suffocating. There are too many people in such a small space, making everyone touch shoulder to shoulder no matter how hard they try not to. It’s uncomfortable being so close to strangers, but the bus ride shouldn’t take too long.

It’s easier as time passes, she notices, to ignore the mass of bodies around her in favor of focusing on which stop is next; to keep her gaze turned down as she counts the number of stops ahead of hers instead of the heads of people entering and exiting the vehicle. Xel presses the button next to her as the ten-minute mark passes, letting the driver know that he needs to stop at the next designated stop. Another minute passes as the bus slows, breaks squeaking it to a halt as they come up next to the stop. She moves, letting go of the railing in favor of making her way to the front, giving a polite bow to the driver before stepping off and back into the cold mid-day air.

Xel walks for another ten minutes, eyes scanning the tops of the buildings she passes before she comes to a stop. It looks larger up close; taller and more intimidating than she remembers from her previous trips here with her aunt and uncle. It’d be easy to turn back; to go home and into the safety of her apartment and come another time with either guardian, but then that would mean defeat. A failure on her nonexistent record that she can’t allow. She lingers there a little longer, steeling her resolve before she takes that step inside.

It’s warmer inside; the heater’s turned up to combat the dropping temperatures outside for a comfortable shopping experience. Xel grabs a basket by the entrance with the intent on finishing this as fast as she could; to prove not only to herself that she could do this. The notepad feels heavier in her hands, somehow; like the weight of it is a burden or reminder of how impossible this feels. She breathes deep, takes a moment to glance at the notepad, then moves forward with whatever feigned grace and confidence she can muster.

The produce comes first, the location being just to the right of her. It’s strange to see so many different types of fruits and vegetables in one place; not since her last meeting all those years ago. Her hand ghosts over an apple, the texture cool and smooth underneath her fingertips as she questions if she would like this. She places it in the basket first, quickly moving her gaze to the first neatly written bullet point of her list. The characters of the word Fresh Produce stare back at her as if taunting her with how vague it is. 

Xel scans the stands quickly, looking for anything to catch her eye. She’s not sure what she should get; not sure what tastes good on a tongue that hasn’t had much more than instant rice and ramen. She settles for a handful of small things, brightly colored and eye-catching, in hopes that it might agree with pallet. Her eyes quickly scan the next row of Kanji on her list, the second bullet point of whatever list of things her aunt deemed important enough for this trip.

She’s standing in the soup aisle, the long row of canned items staring back at her. The first thing, she realizes, is that there were so many; more than she thought existed. Her empty hand slowly reaches up to grasp at whatever can is right in front of her, turning it over in her palm to stare at the ingredients and instructions. It's easier than she thought it'd be, just heat it up until it's hot; just like her instant ramen. Her eyes scan the rows of soup once more before she decides to place a few in her basket at random intervals, not sure if she's getting what her aunt wanted or not.

Xel's not sure why she's standing here, staring at rows of packaged candies and sweets. There are only a few items left on her list, maybe two things or three things, and none of them are what she’s looking at. They’re colorful and small; each bag containing anywhere from twelve to twenty individual pieces in each 5 oz. bag. Her head turns, changing her focus from the seemingly gummy sweets to bars of chocolate. Each bar is individually wrapped in brown packaging, making it a clear contrast from the bags of colorful gummies she had just been looking at.

It’s a surprise to be distracted; to be caught unaware of her surroundings enough that the sound of another’s voice surprises her. Her gaze shifts to the left. There’s a body next to her, close, but not close enough to be considered an invasion of personal space. A male, from what he can see; likely around 170 cm, given her height.

“I can hear the gears in your head turning.” There’s a pause long enough for his hand to reach out; to grab one of the orange packages of something she couldn’t name. “Just take these,” She’s unresisting as something is placed in her hand. “They’re the one true candy.”

Her palm opens as she looks down; the tiny package in her hand is light, bright orange in color with a name she couldn’t even try to pronounce on her own. It was strange, she thinks; to have someone insult her and then help her make a decision she wasn’t sure she was in the process of making. There’s a flicker of anger in Xel’s chest if she thinks any harder on it; the flutter of irritation formed on confusion and uncertainty all wrapped up into something so small she can’t make sense of it. She can hear the sound of footsteps growing softer, adding to the growing distance with every step that’s taken.

Xel decides not to dwell on it; to not to let the hints of irritation cloud her judgment and actions into something she might regret later. She puts the package in the basket instead. It’s an attempt to block out the thoughts as she switches her mind back to her list of items. She could forgo getting the gloves, having no real use for them even despite the dropping temperatures that are sure to follow the coming weeks. The cold medicine is the only item left that could be of any use.

It’s a few minutes of mindless wandering before she finds herself in the pharmacy aisle if the various rows of pill bottles are anything to go by. She’s standing in front of a row now; the bottles varying in size and shape, each with a different label for whatever ailment one might have any time of year. It’s intimidating in its own way, to be faced with several options at once all for the same thing, each having their own prices and add-ons to help the healing process. Her head tilts back in an attempt to read the bottles on the higher shelves; to get more information on whatever bottles hold her attention long enough for her to read the label.

The sound of footsteps eases Xel from her thoughts, dragging her attention away from the objects in front of her. Her eyes shift to her left, taking a quick glance at a vaguely familiar mop of blonde hair now standing next to her. “Are you unaware of the basic rules to getting medications?”

Xel feels her head nod in answer without her consent; feels the shift of her hair on the back of her neck with the action. 

“They’re all the same basic make-up of compounds.” The boy says, pitching his voice loud enough to carry the small span of space that separates the two bodies. “The whole, ‘I have more whatever than this other brand has’ is total bullshit. Just buy the cheapest item and stick with it.”

Her hand reaches for one of the bottles; the cheapest one that was advised. It’s smooth under her touch; the only roughness coming from the packaging label. She can feel a small smile tug the corners of her mouth, bringing them up towards her eyes as she bows a polite ‘Thank you’ before walking toward the register. 

Xel takes great pride in not failing this mission.


End file.
